Undergarment



July 7, 1925. 1,545,178

c. N. WINSHIP ET AL UNDERGARMENT Filed 001?, 20. 1921 Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED. STATES CHARLES 1v. WINSHIP ANnrERoY w. HATFIELD, or WAKEhIELD', MASSACHUSETTS,.

ASSIGNORS TO WINSHIP, BOIT 81; (10., OF WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A COPABT- NERSHIP CO'NSISTING OF CHARLES N WINSHIP AND ELIZABETH v UNDER-GARMENT.

Application filed October 20, 1921. Serial No. 508,986.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES N. WIN- SHIP and PERCY W. HATFIELD, citizens of the United States, residing at Wakefield,

in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Undergarments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ladies undergarments and is especially concerned with wide legged undergarments of the type sometimes worn underneath and sometlmes over the corsets. While garments of this type are Widely used, many women find them uncomfortable because of the bunch ing of the material in the crotch. It is the chief object of the present invention, therefore, to overcome this objection and to improve the construction of garments of this class with a view particularly to providing a more comfortable and better fitting garment.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a garment constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the garment shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the crotch portion of the garment shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The garment shown is designed to be used either as a chemise or a union suit. It comprises two front pieces designated at 2 and 3, respectively, both of these pieces be ing of substantially the same shape and preferably forming the front portions of both the body and legs of the garment. They are united by a median seam up to about the point 4, Fig. 1, and above this point may be provided with buttons and button holes.

The back of the garment includes a central back piece 5 having the general shape of a gusset, and two lateral pieces 6 and 7, secured to opposite sides of the gusset 5 and also united, respectively, to the front pieces 3 and 2. The lower portions of the pieces 3 and 6 form one leg, while the corresponding parts of the pieces 2 and 7 form the other leg. It will be observed that the central back piece or gusset 5 is very narrow in the crotch but widens rapidly as it extends toward the waist, while the lateral pieces 6 and 7 are very wide in the leg por tions of the garment and narrow rapidly as they extend upwardly toward the waist. This construction, therefore, gives ample seat room and at the same time avoids the presence of an excessive amount of material in the crotch of the garment. All the pieces above mentioned meet in the crotch, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, where they are united by a seam 8 that extends laterally of the crotch and preferably is bound, as shown.

The top of the garment may be finished in any desired way, but as shown it includes a yoke 9 in the back of the garment which is stitched to the front pieces 2 and 3 and also to the back members 5, 6 and 7. Shoulder straps 10l0 are also provided to support the garment.

It will now be appreciated that this in vention provides a garment having all the advantages of wide legged garments of the character heretofore known, but which has greater roominess in the region of the seat, while at the same time avoiding the presence of excessive material in the crotch which has proved very objectionable in prior garments of this general type.

It will also be understood that this invention may be embodied in a great variety of designs and styles of undergarments of this general character, the construction shown being intended simply to disclose one very simple form that the invention may take, but no effort being made to illustrate styles or designs since these obviously are of almost infinite variety.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

A ladies undergarment of the character described, comprising a body portion constructed to encircle the body of the wearer, shoulder straps for supporting said body portion, short legs extending from said body portion, the back of said garment including a central gusset extending from the crotch upwardly, said gusset being very narrow at the crotch and widening rapidly as it extends upwardly toward the waist, two lateral pieces secured to the opposite edges of said gusset, the lower portions of said lateral pieces forming the back portions of the legs and narrowing rapidly as they extend upwardly, two front pieces secured to said lateral pieces and joined to gether by a median seam for a short distance from the crotch upwardly, and means 10 for detachably fastening the edges of said front pieces together above said median seam.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to this specification.

CHARLES N. WINSHIP. PERCY W. HATFIELD. 

